Chantelle Reid on attending the Olympics, training with her dad and being a female boxer

Here, boxer Chantelle Reid and her dad Duane reflect on her journey so far.

Chantelle

I wouldn't be where I am, I wouldn't be an Olympian, if my dad wasn't my coach. I think it's better to have a parent as your coach – I believe athletes that have family involved are more successful because they push you and want what’s best for you.

My dad is very knowledgeable and tactical. He's a perfectionist. We're an amazing team. We never get into disagreements while training. I’m just like, "Yes, Dad, yes, Dad." He knows more than I do, so how can I question anything, really?

In kickboxing, I competed in the European Championships as a junior and won two gold medals. As a late youth, I went to the World Championships and won another two gold medals. I went as far as I could in kickboxing, and kickboxing isn’t an Olympic sport, so I decided to transition into boxing.

I remember being interviewed at Moorways Sports Village in Derby when I was about 12. They asked, "What’s your dream?" I said, "I just want to go to the Olympic Games."

When I was younger, I also loved art, enjoyed horse riding and was into fashion. I do like handbags – I love Louis Vuitton and, if I turn professional one day, my dream is to get a Hermès Birkin bag.

I had six years out of boxing because of a disc injury in my back. It was like grieving, because I lost a massive part of my life. I did try a nine-to-five with an apprenticeship in wealth management, but it just wasn’t for me. I went from being so active and driven to just sitting behind a computer. I also got my level 2 coaching qualifications, so I was helping to teach kids at my dad’s gym, Kode Red Boxing Academy in Derby. I started boxing again last January.

I live with my dad in Derby, but at the moment, I’m in accommodation in Sheffield with Team GB. I train three times a day. I’ll eat eggs in the morning, then chicken, rice and vegetables, and more protein at night. My diet is based on grams of proteins or carbs.

I’ll send my dad footage from when I’ve been sparring. He’ll watch that video ten or 15 times, put it in slow-mo and fast-forward it to see if my hand drops before I throw a jab. Each week, as homework, he tells me to watch footage of an amateur and a professional fighter. I’ll send him my notes of what I think, and he’ll send me his. I enjoy watching Vasiliy Lomachenko – he’s so talented – and Mike Tyson.

I’m a big family person – they’ve supported me so much through everything I do – so on the weekends when I’m not in Sheffield, I try to see everybody. To relax, I have an Epsom salt bath, and I completely switch off by watching Friends. When I visit my mum, we love watching films, like the John Wick and Jason Bourne movies. On Sundays, I go to church with my grandma.

As a woman, it takes courage just to even set foot in a martial arts gym or a boxing gym, never mind to put a head guard on, put gloves on and start sparring. It’s major. Since the 2012 Olympics, Nicola Adams, Savannah Marshall and Katie Taylor have shown the world we can box. Chantelle Cameron is my role model. They’ve had a massive impact on female boxing, and I’m so blessed to be part of that history. I’m not going to Paris for anything less than a gold medal – I’ve worked too hard – but I’m going to enjoy the process and absorb everything. As soon as I sit down on the Eurostar, I’m going to be like, "You know what? I’m travelling to the Olympics!"

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Chantelle's dad, Duane

When I was 14, I went to a kickboxing session and was hooked. I competed for Great Britain in the Kickboxing World and European Championships. I then started to compete in amateur boxing and turned professional. After a bad shoulder injury, I got into coaching.

Chantelle’s been in and around combat sports pretty much all her life. As soon as I could, I was showing her techniques. She started kickboxing when she was four or five. I wanted to build her confidence and the other reason was for self-defence – as much as I don’t ever want her to have to use the tools she’s learnt.

She’s always been my right-hand woman. When I was teaching kids at council-run venues around Derby, Channy would be my helper, doing demos and carrying my bags.

Her grandad on her mum’s side, Brian Hinkley, is an established boxing coach and helped massively when Channy decided she wanted to take the boxing route when she was about 12. My son, Duane Jr (21), is a boxer too, and my nine-year-old daughter Caitlin kickboxes.

It’s a bit easier to deal with my son getting hit in boxing than with Chantelle, but she’s decent at what she does. It’s still not nice to see, but she’s tough and very well skilled. That keeps me driven with training, because I have to make sure she’s on form and I want her to take as few shots as possible.

Women were allowed to box competitively for the first time at the 2012 Olympics. We do have more girls at boxing sessions at the gym now. It’s great that Chantelle’s part of the group of women spreading that message.

From Monday to Thursday she’s in Sheffield training with Team GB, then Thursday to Saturday she’ll train back in Derby with me, and we focus on tactics. I do my best to give her a Sunday off. I try not to tell her she’s naturally good in certain areas because it can stunt growth. She’s worked hard for a long time to get her speed, fitness and athleticism.

Everyone says, "You must be so proud she’s going to the Olympics," but it's the hard work she's done to get to that point that I’m most proud of, and the way she’s coping with it. I can see her maturing as a young woman.

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